Red Hunting Hat (photo)

Holden's red hunting hat is a major symbol in Catcher in the Rye. He buys it New York City after, as the manager of the fencing team, leaves all of the foils and other fencing equipment on the subway. Throughout the novel, it is a symbol of protection and attachment. At times, Holden takes off the hat because he is self conscious of it, usually when he is going to be in public. Walking back to his hotel on the deserted streets of the city, however, Holden describes that "it was freezing cold, so I took my red hunting hat out of my pocket and put it on- I didn't give a damn how I looked, I even put the earflaps down" (88). Here, he is okay with wearing it because he is alone, and cold. At the end of the book, Phoebe is seen wearing the hat while going to meet Holden at the art museum. This shows that Phoebe wants to be like her brother because he looks up to her.